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Sprint Cup
SPENCER: Off-Season Winners And Losers
Not everyone is in a better situation for 2012 than 2011...
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
The NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway is in full swing in the heart of NASCAR this week.
Not much changes from year to year on the Media Tour. Drivers with great opportunities talk about how great their opportunities are and their outlook for the new season, while drivers with mediocre opportunities tout their chances for success as being the best they’ve ever had. Every team and driver on the tour predicts their improvement over last year.
It’s always a positive spin on the upcoming season from the drivers, but when you really examine the situations, they’re not all stepping into the fabulous rides they say they are. A lot has taken place in the Cup Series since Homestead last November that set some dominoes into motion throughout the garage area. But not everyone ended up in a better situation than they started. Make no mistake – there were some definite losers in this game of musical chairs.
Hands down, the biggest loser was Kurt Busch. But that was all of his own making. He lost his temper and melted down one too many times, and Roger Penske and his sponsors had had enough. But in a strange way, Kurt was one of the biggest winners of the off-season because he still has a job and is getting another chance. Kurt landed at Phoenix Racing with James Finch, making Finch another beneficiary in this scenario.
This will be a do-or-die year for Kurt with regard to his behavior. If he displays even one hint of an explosion, I think his Cup career is finished. Working in his favor is the fact he is a past Cup champion with multiple wins under his belt. Had he been someone who has run mid-pack his entire career, no team or sponsor would be taking a chance on him. But Kurt is a hell of a talent and one of the five best drivers in the garage area.
One of the biggest winners in these driver shifts is AJ Allmendinger, who fell into what is probably the best opportunity of his career at Penske Racing when Busch left. And what’s even better is that Allmendinger realizes what a blessing his new ride is.
Count Denny Hamlin a winner, as well, after Joe Gibbs Racing hired Darian Grubb to be his new crew chief. It doesn’t get much better than bringing over the defending Cup Series champion crew chief to work with you. I think this is great for Hamlin and he will be a major contender in 2012.
The jury is still out on Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for this season, but they’ve certainly shaken things up by firing a good portion of their upper management during the off-season. When an organization has as bad a season as EGR had, you’ve got to do something. With all due respect, those who lost their jobs certainly lost out, but the entire operation may come out on the winning side with some fresh faces and ideas in there.
David Ragan was one of the ones on the short end of the stick in the winter months. He lost his plum ride in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford when Jack Roush shut that team down due to lack of sponsorship. But you have to factor in the fact that Ragan never lived up to expectations, which probably had a big hand in why they couldn’t secure sponsorship for 2012.
Ragan had a good opportunity for many years at RFR but didn’t perform and couldn’t capitalize on it. Ragan has announced he will drive the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, so at least he’s not out of a job, but it’s not even close to the caliber of ride he had with Roush.
How about Brian Vickers? He’s currently without a job for the new season after being in some of the best cars in the garage throughout his career. But he never could quite climb that last rung on the ladder and get the finishes out of his equipment that he probably should have. He just didn’t cut it and his bizarre, bulldozer-style of driving at Sonoma and other tracks last year probably didn’t help his quest for a new job.
Joe Gibbs Racing is losing out by keeping Joey Logano in the No. 20, and if he doesn’t start showing huge potential soon, I think Kurt Busch will be in his car in 2013. Mark my words.
While this is a crucial year for Kurt, it’s also a pivotal one for Logano. While Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch won races in Gibbs’ Nationwide car, Logano struggled to finish in the top five when his turn rolled around. I’m not sure Logano has what it takes, and if he’s not careful, he could be the next Vickers.
Finally, I think both Stewart Haas Racing and Danica Patrick won out on their alliance for this season and those in the future. Patrick couldn’t ask for a better coach in her transition to stock cars and the Cup Series than Stewart, and the team gets the most sought-after driver in quite some time, along with her loyal fan base of millions. The team also gained Greg Zipadelli as its competition director this season, with whom Stewart has a great relationship, so I only expect that partnership to pay dividends.
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Not much changes from year to year on the Media Tour. Drivers with great opportunities talk about how great their opportunities are and their outlook for the new season, while drivers with mediocre opportunities tout their chances for success as being the best they’ve ever had. Every team and driver on the tour predicts their improvement over last year.
It’s always a positive spin on the upcoming season from the drivers, but when you really examine the situations, they’re not all stepping into the fabulous rides they say they are. A lot has taken place in the Cup Series since Homestead last November that set some dominoes into motion throughout the garage area. But not everyone ended up in a better situation than they started. Make no mistake – there were some definite losers in this game of musical chairs.
Hands down, the biggest loser was Kurt Busch. But that was all of his own making. He lost his temper and melted down one too many times, and Roger Penske and his sponsors had had enough. But in a strange way, Kurt was one of the biggest winners of the off-season because he still has a job and is getting another chance. Kurt landed at Phoenix Racing with James Finch, making Finch another beneficiary in this scenario.
This will be a do-or-die year for Kurt with regard to his behavior. If he displays even one hint of an explosion, I think his Cup career is finished. Working in his favor is the fact he is a past Cup champion with multiple wins under his belt. Had he been someone who has run mid-pack his entire career, no team or sponsor would be taking a chance on him. But Kurt is a hell of a talent and one of the five best drivers in the garage area.
One of the biggest winners in these driver shifts is AJ Allmendinger, who fell into what is probably the best opportunity of his career at Penske Racing when Busch left. And what’s even better is that Allmendinger realizes what a blessing his new ride is.
Count Denny Hamlin a winner, as well, after Joe Gibbs Racing hired Darian Grubb to be his new crew chief. It doesn’t get much better than bringing over the defending Cup Series champion crew chief to work with you. I think this is great for Hamlin and he will be a major contender in 2012.
The jury is still out on Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for this season, but they’ve certainly shaken things up by firing a good portion of their upper management during the off-season. When an organization has as bad a season as EGR had, you’ve got to do something. With all due respect, those who lost their jobs certainly lost out, but the entire operation may come out on the winning side with some fresh faces and ideas in there.
David Ragan was one of the ones on the short end of the stick in the winter months. He lost his plum ride in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford when Jack Roush shut that team down due to lack of sponsorship. But you have to factor in the fact that Ragan never lived up to expectations, which probably had a big hand in why they couldn’t secure sponsorship for 2012.
Ragan had a good opportunity for many years at RFR but didn’t perform and couldn’t capitalize on it. Ragan has announced he will drive the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, so at least he’s not out of a job, but it’s not even close to the caliber of ride he had with Roush.
How about Brian Vickers? He’s currently without a job for the new season after being in some of the best cars in the garage throughout his career. But he never could quite climb that last rung on the ladder and get the finishes out of his equipment that he probably should have. He just didn’t cut it and his bizarre, bulldozer-style of driving at Sonoma and other tracks last year probably didn’t help his quest for a new job.
Joe Gibbs Racing is losing out by keeping Joey Logano in the No. 20, and if he doesn’t start showing huge potential soon, I think Kurt Busch will be in his car in 2013. Mark my words.
While this is a crucial year for Kurt, it’s also a pivotal one for Logano. While Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch won races in Gibbs’ Nationwide car, Logano struggled to finish in the top five when his turn rolled around. I’m not sure Logano has what it takes, and if he’s not careful, he could be the next Vickers.
Finally, I think both Stewart Haas Racing and Danica Patrick won out on their alliance for this season and those in the future. Patrick couldn’t ask for a better coach in her transition to stock cars and the Cup Series than Stewart, and the team gets the most sought-after driver in quite some time, along with her loyal fan base of millions. The team also gained Greg Zipadelli as its competition director this season, with whom Stewart has a great relationship, so I only expect that partnership to pay dividends.
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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